What is a food extruder?

 

What is an extruder?

To understand what an extruder is, we must first know what the extrusion process is. Extrusion is the process of heating and pushing a material (usually pellets, dry powder, rubber, plastic, metal bars or even food) through a die. A mold is essentially a mold that shapes the material as it is forced through a small opening to the other side. This is one of the most common methods of producing sheet and strip in metal, plastic and rubber shapes.

An extruder is simply a machine used to complete the extrusion process. The machine uses a barrel and cylinder system to heat the product and push it through a die to form the desired shape.

What is an extruder used for?

Extruders can be used to make a variety of usable products by shaping a variety of materials. For example, our breakfast cereals and pre-made snacks are often made using food extruders, which use uniform, controlled pressure and temperature to create nearly the same pieces we pour into our bowls every morning.

For the same reason, pet food and treats are made with food extruders - to create a high level of consistency and quality in the food we feed furry family members. Dragons's food forming extruders can be used as stand-alone applications or combined with cooking extruders for combined cooking and cooling.

For many industries, catalyst extruders are used to produce catalysts such as high alumina, gels, kaolin supports, molecular sieves, etc. Whether your company requires tiny pellets, solid rods, unsupported rings or other catalyst configurations, Dragons has an extruder that will get the job done.

Rubber bags can also be extruded for a variety of purposes. For example, rubber extruders can make extruded hydrogels, which are used to make everything from contact lenses to replacing cartilage. The Dragons Company's rubber extruders can break down large, sticky bales without the use of talc or specialty chemicals.

Extrusion equipment is even used to make materials that keep the air and water in our homes clean. Vacuum extruders were originally used in the clay industry to degas their products and are now used to make activated carbon. The extruder degass the carbon to improve its adsorption properties and prepare it for any number of air and water purification applications. Dragons can work with virtually all available substrates, not just activated carbon, and can use our expertise to show how this extrusion process can work for you in our testing facility.

While these are some of the most common extrusion types supported by The Dragons Company, other extrusion equipment manufacturers may specialize in extruders for other materials, such as plastics, clay, aluminum, or other metals. For example, plastic extruders can be used to make PVC pipes. As you can see, there are many types of extrusion equipment and their uses.